University of Florida Health Cancer Institute

08/11/2026

Congratulations to five teams of UF Health Cancer Institute researchers who have received Florida Cancer Innovation Fund grants for innovative cancer research projects!

The new projects aim to improve monitoring of prostate cancer; uncover promising new treatments for hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer; harness the power of natural products for new cancer treatments; test whether kava reduces tobacco-associated lung cancer risk; and support a mobile health intervention to reduce fatigue in cancer survivors.

Learn more about the research projects: https://go.ufl.edu/5p88n30

08/10/2026

UF Health Cancer Institute member Erin Mobley, Ph.D., is the first author on a new study finding that the heart-protective drug dexrazoxane significantly reduced chemotherapy-related heart damage for years after treatment.

Mobley, a pediatric cancer survivor, said one of the biggest benefits of this kind of long-term study could be in helping families imagine brighter futures after treatment ends: https://news.ufl.edu/2026/08/chemotherapy-heart-protecting-drug/

08/09/2026

Gainesville resident Lenora Jenkins is vigilant about getting her cancer screenings and checkups. Today at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church’s annual community health fair, she shared with us why she makes her health a priority: so she can live a long, healthy life.

On our Mobile Cancer Screening Connector, we offer screenings for breast, cervical, prostate and colon cancers. We also provide health education and connections to opportunities to participate in UF research studies.

📍Find us at an event near you!

08/09/2026

🎉🎉 300 mobile mammograms! 🎉🎉 We are so proud to reach this milestone today for our Mobile Cancer Screening Connector at Mt Moriah Baptist Church's annual community health fair in Gainesville.

We had a wonderful afternoon providing mammograms, cancer health education and connections to University of Florida research studies alongside a range of community organizations, including the Florida Department of Health (DOH).

By partnering with churches and community organizations, our Mobile Cancer Screening Connector brings mammograms and screenings for cervical, colon and prostate cancers directly to those we serve, right in the communities where they live.

We are so grateful to our hard-working team for their dedication to creating healthier, flourishing communities, as well as our valued community partners.

You can learn more about our Mobile Cancer Screening Connector at go.ufl.edu/connector. Make your health a priority and find us at an upcoming community event near you!

08/08/2026

From learning new laboratory techniques to contributing data that could appear in future scientific research, Allison Hache accomplished a lot during her summer at the UF Health Cancer Institute.

Through the 12-week STRONGER internship, Allison worked alongside mentor Caitland Love, an M.D.-Ph.D. candidate in the Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, to investigate potential immunotherapy approaches for glioblastoma.

“I now feel like I have a solid understanding of how immunotherapy is used in the fight against cancer,” Allison said.

Learn how hands-on research, mentorship and clinical shadowing helped Allison begin seeing herself as a scientist capable of contributing to the future of cancer research: https://cancer.ufl.edu/2026/08/03/stronger-internship-positions-undergraduates-for-successful-careers-in-cancer-research/

08/07/2026

Our Team-based Interdisciplinary Cancer Research Training (TICaRT) Program brings together teams of trainees to tackle cancer research problems that they’re interested in but couldn’t do by themselves.

This approach allows trainees to develop trust while expanding the scope of their research and using technology in new ways to solve problems. For example, in our current cohort, a graduate student in biomedical engineering is working with an M.D.-Ph.D. student in neuroscience.

Trainees learn how to lead and facilitate collaborative research. They gain effective science communications skills, and they learn how partnerships across disciplines can achieve outcomes that aren’t possible in isolation.

In this video, Dietmar Siemann, Ph.D., our associate director for education and training, highlights the benefits of this innovative approach and shares how the program is positively impacting their careers.

Some fast facts about TICaRT, funded through a National Cancer Institute T32 training grant:

✅ 30 basic science and clinical faculty
✅ 9 University of Florida colleges and 22 departments
✅ 11 Ph.D. programs
✅ 4 UF Health Cancer Institute research programs

08/07/2026

Let's jump back 20 years ago to 2006 when the first proton therapy treatment was delivered in the southeast United States by UF Health Proton Therapy Institute. From the first patient on August 14, 2006 to 2,200 more patients in just 4 years, the foundation for the future of proton therapy began.

Read about the early years at UF Health Proton Therapy Institute: https://bit.ly/4fHPniv


University of Florida Health Cancer Institute UF Health University of Florida UF Health Jacksonville UF College of Medicine

08/06/2026

Our Team-based Interdisciplinary Cancer Research Training (TICaRT) Program, supported by a National Cancer Institute T32 training grant, operates on the premise that advances in the understanding of cancer and its clinical management rarely occur in isolation. Instead, they're team-based research endeavors.

Today, we got to hear from the third cohort of TICaRT trainees during our annual Research Symposium. Four pairs of trainees presented their research progress over their first year in the program and received feedback.

The biggest benefits of the program are building collaborations, breaking down silos to tackle problems and fostering trust, said Dietmar Siemann, Ph.D., our associate director for education and training.

"From personal experience and I know my colleagues have this experience too, their research, their understanding, in fact their careers are heavily influenced by who you know and who you interact with," he said.

The program takes a truly multidisciplinary approach, engaging 30 basic science and clinical faculty members from more than nine University of Florida colleges and 22 departments, 11 Ph.D. programs and all four UF Health Cancer Institute research programs.

Gabriela Hery is a predoctoral trainee who works in the comparative oncology program with Rowan Milner, Ph.D., in the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. Through TICaRT, she's working with postdoc Sadi Quinones to research cellular processes that make gliomas more aggressive

"TICaRT has helped me in so many ways beyond what I thought," Hery said. "Originally I was really excited about learning the computational side and gaining that experience. But instead it's given me so much more support and help even with just presenting the data, telling a more cohesive story, being able to ask questions about life beyond getting a Ph.D. from someone who is going through that transition now."

Quinones, who works in the lab of Ramon Sun, Ph.D., said the biggest benefit has been stretching the scope of his existing work.

"It's given me an opportunity to see other creative ways to use the same technology that I'm already using," he said.

Hats off to all of the trainees who presented their research today, listed below!

"Integrated RNA Delivery and Transcriptional Inhibition Strategy for Refractory Lung Cancers"
Kevon Jolly & Kyle Scheller

"Computational Modeling Assisted Development of NRF2-Targeting PROTACS"
Lewis Alexander & Michael MacNair

"From Stemness to Surveillance: An Interdisciplinary, Bioprinting Approach to Understanding Neurodevelopmental Antigens in T-cell Therapy for Glioblastoma"
Tia Monjure & Cali Love

"Spatial Transcriptomic Profiling and Mass Spectroscopy Imaging of Gangliosides in Immunotherapy-Treated versus Untreated Glioblastoma Mice"
Gabriela Hery & Sadi Quinones-Al-Muhtaseb

Learn more about TICaRT: https://cancer.ufl.edu/education/ticart-t32/

08/05/2026

UF Health Cancer Institute member Ibrahim Nassour, M.D., is working to improve gastric cancer care outcomes across the state.

Gastric cancer patients without financial and social support often lack the means to travel to leading facilities and afford specialized treatment, he said. Supported by $1.4 million in grant funding from the Florida Department of Health (DOH), a collaboration with Mount Sinai Medical Center seeks to minimize these healthcare disparities by pairing patients with a nurse navigator. Read more:

A research partnership and advancements in robotic surgery could improve gastric cancer care outcomes across the state. The Division of Surgical Oncology in the University of Florida Department of Surgery continues to lead in gastric cancer care with advancements in robotic surgery and the launch of...

08/04/2026

We are proud to share that UF Health Shands Hospital is once again ranked among the country’s top 50 hospitals for cancer treatment, according to the 2026-27 U.S. News and World Report “Best Hospitals” rankings.

The health system is ranked No. 35 for the specialty, placing it among the best in the country for high-quality, innovative cancer care.

The ranking reflects the teamwork of hundreds of dedicated clinicians and researchers who work tirelessly to reduce the burden of cancer, said Thomas George, M.D., FACP, FASCO, interim director of the UF Health Cancer Institute.

“We are proud to be nationally recognized once again this year for providing high quality cancer care to patients in Florida and beyond,” he said. “Our approach is to engage the best minds from across all 16 University of Florida colleges. We remain committed to researching cancer from every angle and translate those new insights to benefit the patients and families we serve.”

The UF Health Cancer Institute is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center at a public institution in Florida. With more than $55 million in total cancer research funding annually and 375 members across all disciplines, the Cancer Institute is making a direct, positive impact on patients and community members. Research ranges from tailored immunotherapy treatments, to novel small-molecule drug development, to precision prevention strategies.

The institute conducts nearly 200 clinical trials across cancer types, ensuring patients have access to the newest, most advanced cancer treatments without having to leave Florida.

This year, cancer is one of five medical specialties at UF Health ranked among the country’s finest. In cancer, UF Health Shands is also “high performing” in colon cancer surgery; gynecological cancer surgery; leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma; and lung cancer surgery.